Flickering Shadows
by SingleServing
Summary: [The Purple Rose of Cairo] Another ending, for the romantically clichéd among us.


The package went unnoticed for a few days. It had been tossed carelessly onto the padded outdoor furniture on the patio. It was the mailman who had finally noticed it and propped it up against the doorframe along with the day's mail.

Shuffling along the pathway, Cecilia hefted the bag of groceries into one arm to unlock the front door. She was strong for her age, which was 62, and she prided herself in being able to cart her groceries to the car on her own, let alone being able to hold a bag with one arm. Unlocking the door, she quickly walked to the kitchen and placed the groceries down. Returning to the front door for her keys in the lock, she saw the mail and package and picked them up. She sifted through the bills and letters, bored from the day's chores. Cecilia eyed the package and gave up on the mail.

Fraying twine wrapped the brown box and, taking a knife to it, Cecilia let the twine unravel and drop to her feet. Prying the thick paper away, she lifted the lid of the box and pulled out a white sheet of paper. She looked at the typed print in wonderment as she read, holding her breath.

_Miss Cecilia Monk –_

_On the passing of a Mr. Gil Shepherd, he requested that this possession of his be sent to you. We are sorry for your loss._

The letter was embossed with an unreadable insignia. Pulling the paper away, she looked down. A film canister sat at the bottom of the box. Cecilia's heart sped up to a million miles a minute and she finally remembered to breathe. She didn't want to think about what could possibly be on that film.

There had been times when Cecilia had looked for the film. Times when her husband hit her a little too hard or times when he would stumble in through the front door smelling of liquor and women. There was one time when she had read in the paper that the washed up actor Gil Shepherd had married a young up-and-coming starlet and it boiled her blood. She had set straight out to find a version of the film and she wasn't coming back until she did. But she would always return empty handed. All of the memorabilia shop and old movie theater owners said the same thing: The Purple Rose of Cairo was unavailable. Some even mentioned that all of the copies were burned up because of a defect in the film. Others would joke it was because the film was so bad. When she would return home her husband wouldn't say anything about it, which was a relief to her, but she still felt empty.

Cecilia had given up hope on ever finding the film and now here it was, sitting in a box in her kitchen. She picked up the canister carefully. There was a piece of tape stuck to the lid with a messily written #3 on it with black ink. Lifting the lid, she peeked inside and saw the rolls and rolls of black film. She closed it slowly and breathed a long sigh.

Without another thought, she grasped the canister in her hands tightly and walked to the back of the house to the den. She opened the door and inhaled the damp smell of mildew and her husband. He had spent most of his time in the den when they had moved to the house and even though he had been dead for several years his scent still permeated the room. Cecilia did not go into this room very much, but it had something she needed. Placing the canister down on a side table, she rooted around behind the couch and found the large box she was looking for. She tore the tape away from the top of the box and opened it. Pulling out a long stand, she set it up against the wall. Next came the dirtied screen that she pulled all the way down until it clasped onto the end of the stand. Finally, she picked up the projector and set it carefully onto the side table along with the film roll.

Cecilia let out a long sigh once again and looked at the projector. She stood there for a few short moments thinking about what she was about to do. Her hand delicately touched the 'on' switch and heard the soft whir of the projector and the screen came to life with movement. It was the scene in the New York apartment and Tom Baxter was walking towards the living room.

"…have yourself quite a place here. I still can't get over the fact…"

He stopped in the middle of his line and blinked.

"Get over the fact that hours ago I was…"

He looked straight out from the screen, putting a hand over his eyes to hide the glare from the lights.

"Who is that? Is that you, Cecilia?"

At the sound of her name, Cecilia's throat constricted. She stepped forward towards the screen so Tom Baxter could see her clearly.

The other characters had begun to gather around in the background and when they saw her they quietly departed, walking off onto other sets.

Tom Baxter stood at the center of the screen, watching Cecilia.

"Hello, Tom," she whispered.

"What's happened? How long has it been?" he asked.

"A few years. Just…a few years," she said. She could feel the tears falling down the sides of her face, but she didn't care.

He watched her for a moment, his lips set in a straight line. His eyes bore into hers and she could feel how old she was, how ugly her skin had become, how the most important decision in her life had been the wrong one.

"Can you forgive me?" she asked. Her eyes cast downward, unable to watch him respond.

She felt the room change and suddenly, a hand bent under her chin and lifted her head up. Tom Baxter leaned down and kissed Cecilia softly. She felt like her stomach would burst with butterflies as he straightened himself up again.

He smiled and said, "Come with me."

"Where?" she asked as he pulled her towards the screen.

"Anywhere we want," he said.

Cecilia felt herself go through the screen and suddenly everything was black and white. She looked back and saw the den and the projector.

She turned towards Tom Baxter's smiling face. "But I am an old woman. I can't do the things I used to be able…" she started but when she looked down at her clasped hands she realized that they were a young person's hands. She quickly looked at the antique mirror that hung in the New York apartment and saw the young version of herself staring back at her.

Tom walked behind her and turned her towards him. She smiled up at him and let him bend down and kiss her passionately.

"Anything's possible in the movies."


End file.
